Following in the footsteps of Sweden's SDHL and North America's PWHL, Switzerland's PostFinance Women's League (PFWL) is set to kick off their 2025-26 season with bodychecking permitted for the first time in league history.

Bodychecking was permitted widely in women's hockey until 1992 when the IIHF officially removed it from the women's World Championships. It took 30 years for the artifact to return to the game for women, but as the sport continues to evolve, it looks like a rule calibration that is here to stay.

"Starting with the upcoming 2025/2026 season, bodychecking will be permitted in the PostFinance Women's League (PFWL). This decision is the league's response to long-standing discussions and uncertainties surrounding the current interpretation of physical contact in women's ice hockey," the league said in their translated announcement. 

For one of Switzerland's most physical players, national team captain Lara Stalder, the move is welcomed.

"The adjustment of the rules regarding physical play, as in Sweden, brings more clarity, better prepares players for international competitions, and represents an important step in the further development of women's ice hockey in Switzerland," said Stalder. "It is also important for Olympic preparation and helps reduce injuries, as it leads to greater awareness and body tension during the game."

Norway is always permitting bodychecking in their top women's league this season. Across the board it's seen by European nations as a necessary move to remain competitive and close the gap between Canada, USA, and the rest of the world. 

For the Swiss league, allowing bodychecking is a pathway to not only increased competition, but also consistency between games and among officials.

"While physical contact was already permitted in certain game situations – especially in equal competition for the puck – the boundary between a punishable hit and a penalty was often unclear," the league stated.

A translated version of the PostFinance Women's League's revised Rule 101.1 pertaining to bodychecking now reads, "Illegal hits in women's hockeyare generally permitted under the same rules as in men's hockey—with the exception of so-called "open-ice hits," in which both players are moving in opposite directions (north-south). Such hits will continue to be punished with a minor penalty or a major penalty, including an automatic suspension."

The 2025-26 PostFinance Women's League schedule opens this weekend on September 13 with SC Bern and the ZSC Lions kicking things off.